Saying No May Be Easy, but It’ll Cost You

Oftentimes it seems that there is more risk in saying “yes” than “no” to a client’s concern or inquiry. For that matter, anyone that comes to us asking for a fix, a solution, or something different is easier met with a “no” than a “yes.” That’s because with a yes response comes additional time and effort required from you. But what if our mindset was the opposite, and the risk was actually in saying no?

Ultimately, there is a lot less work for the employee who says no (think compliance departments). If the person says yes, they may have to do something and then take a risk for doing it. And frankly, it seems that some service people don’t feel like they are being paid to say yes. It’s too much work. But eventually, much less work may lead to no work, especially when you’re in the industry of providing a service for clients.

What if service people were given incentives for the yes answers they gave to clients and were docked pay for their no answers? I guarantee they’d find ways to say yes more often, and as a result, provide better, more personal service to their clients.

“Yes, I can change that for you.” “Yes, I can do that for you over the phone right now.” “Yes, I can add that to your order.” “Yes, I will talk to my manager and see if we can do that for you.”

How about, “YES, I can do some hard work for you even though it would be easier for me to just say no.” The result? Happy clients that will share your work with others because of the surprising way you have served their needs.